Heel



H. I EvlNE July 3, 1956 HEEL United States Patent O HEEL Herbert Levine, New York, N. Y. Application September 2, 1954, Serial No. 453,735 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-34) This invention relates to improvements in womens heels.

Womens heels often undergo structural failure, generally in two regions. Firstly at the heel support, which is connected to the body of the shoe by nails or the like, the axial penetration of the nails causes the material, generally wood, to split or shear oif laterally.

Secondly transverse forces acting on the shank either shear the shank end off or cause axial rupture due to bending stresses.

inasmuch as wood is a granular material, the grains should be deployed in such a manner as to inhibit the above described failures.

failure due to the axial entry of nails or the like into the heel support area. Conversely the arrangement of the grains normal to the heel axis results in weakness against the stresses induced by transverse forces and a maximum resistance against the stresses induced by the hammering of an axial nail into the heel support.

Since conventionally, heels are made from materials particularly wood, in which the grains run in one direction throughout, or material having non-uniform strength axially and transversely, the resultant heel cannot effectively resist both the rupturing effects discussed supra.

Frequently women object to the location of a rubber heel at the shank base. However to eliminate the rubber heel is also objectionable since the heel serves to dampen the impact from the floor to the users foot.

Consequently it is the dual inventive object to provide an improved heel which, effectively resists both the as to facilitate the shaping of the heel to properly it the contours of a womans shoe.

A further inventive object is the provision of a heel assembly comprised of materials providing both maximum structural resistance to the stresses resulting from the entry of a nail into the heel support and to the transverse forces acting on the heel.

A still further inventive object is the provision of a heel assembly which comprises a granular material whose grains are parallel to the heel axis near the shank and normal to the heel axis near the heel support.

A still further inventive object is the provision of a heel assembly which comprises a granular structure whose grains are parallel to the heel axis from the shank to the surface adjacent the shoe and includes grains normal to the heel axis forming the heel support encompassing the upper portions of the iirst described grains.

A still further inventive object is to provide a heel assembly with a non-unifrm granular material wherein both longitudinally and transversely.

Further objects and inventive details will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved heel assembly;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the heel assembly;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a modified form thereof;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the heel assembly;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective of the component parts of the assembly; and

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the heel assembly.

Referring to Figure l, the improved heel assembly is seen to comprise the heel support 10 having an upper sloping surface 11 contoured to complement the underside of a womans shoe. The peripheral surface 12 of Materials such as wood, leather, plastic, etc. can well be used. If a granular material, preferably such as wood, is used then the grains 16 are run in a direction normal to the longitudinal heel axis. On the other hand, when the other cited materials `are used, the substance forming the Referring now to Figure 5, the lower portion of the heel assembly is seen to comprise the heel shank 18 having breast portion 17, the outer peripheral surfaces of the shank being also shaped to complete the proper contours of a womans shoe. A transverse connection surtural resistance to transverse forces. shearing strength normal to the grain can be as much as twice the shearing stress parallel to the grain. over in tension due to bending when the tension is par- For example the grains normal to the axis.

Returning to the heel support, since failures due to the entry of an axial nail are primarily shear failures, by having the grains normal to the axis the resultant shear resistance can be doubled.

Practically this results in fewer failures when the heel is attached to the shoe and breakages due to snubbing the heel against floors, chairs, etc.

For additional structural capacity and also comfort as better seen in Figure 2, there is provided a layer of resilient material comprising the cylindrical portion 2.3 encompassing the projectionZl and contacting the bore 13 of the heel support. A further resilient layer 24 is provided between the lower section 14 of the heel support and the surface 19.

The resilient layers 23 and 24 function to dampen the impact transmitted from the heel shank 1S to the heel support 10 thereby increasing the users comfort and reducing the impact stresses between the heel support and the breast. Furthermore when the resilient layer is a cenienttious compound, the layer binds the parts together.

In Figure 5 the resilient layers are shown in the form of the pre-formed resilient inserts 2S and 26 which can be formed of rubber or the like. It should be however understood that other forms of resilient layers can be efectively used such as rubber cement, caulliing compounds, etc. Thus the illustrated forms 25 and 26 should not be construed as restrictive.

in Figure 3 there is depicted a further modification wherein a resilient layer is interposed only between the heel support 10 and the shank 1S for cushioning vertical impacts. The resilient layers also' serve to hold the assembly together.

Due to the structural arrangement' disclosed it is apparent that the aesthetic features of an extremely thin womans heel can be maintained without increasing fabrication costs. rl`he resultant heel is, on the average 4 times stronger than the conventional designs and provides a comfortable resilient heel action.

It should be further understood that variations in shape, size, material, and the positioning of the combinative elements are all within the inventive scope disclosed herein.

Having thus disclosed in detail the nature of the invention, I claim:

A heel assembly comprising an upper heel support portion adapted for connection to a womans shoe in combination with a lower portion, said upper heel support portion comprising a brous material shaped to it the contours of a womans shoe whose grains are normal to the heel axis and including an axial bore, said lower portion comprising a fibrous material whose grains are parallel to the heel axis and whose periphery continues the contours of the heel support, said upper heel support portion and said lower portion including transverse confronting surfaces, said lower portion including an axial projection extending through said bore from the confronting surfaces, said lower portion extending axially away from said heel support, said projection being encompassed by a rubber tube and said confronting surfaces being separated by a transverse rubber insert therebetween.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,831,349 Evans Nov. 10, 1931 2,467,247 Wood Apr. l2, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 49,097 France Nov. 7, 1938 321,417 Italy Oct. 4, 1934 405,653 France Ian. 10, 1910 478,184 Great Britain Ian. 13, 1938 487,720 Great Britain Iune 24, 1938 513,523 France Feb. 17, 1921 

